My sunset Your sunrise
by RoseandThorns
Summary: Dean falls in battle. Safe and content in his afterlife, he watches over Sam.


Hello everyone! A quick one-shot. It's supposed to be sad but it probaly isn't. If you like it I can post his death and the after chapter.

Much love!

Keep happy and reviewing!

...

My sunset. Your sunrise.

Dean

The trees of the graveyard whispered overhead. They told off secrets and a life beyond them. Those who walked the earth and breathed would never hear their voices. Only the ones whose bodies were buried could understand their songs. I stared at the earth beneath my feet, the dug grave and the freshly cut flowers. The thought that a man's body was slowly decaying under the ground was frightening. I didn't like knowing who the body belong to. I didn't like knowing that it was mine. I thought I'd be vengeful when I died. I was so sure that I'd fight for just a taste of life again. But I wasn't. Oddly, I was strangely calm. Somewhere along the line, I had accepted my fate and what had happened. I'd even come to terms with the fact that my brother lived without me by his side.

_Dean Winchester._

_1979-2010_

_Much loved brother, son and friend._

_You gave us hope when we had none._

The word were sappy, not the words I had envisioned to find on my headstone but I knew that they came from the hearts of the people I cared about. A car door slammed shut behind me and footsteps crunched over gravel and leaves. I watched a tall figure weave through the trees.

Sammy.

Something tugged inside me. There was grief in his eyes but something else I couldn't understand. He looked the same, held his body in the same way. His hair fell about his eyes like I remembered. He stopped beside the grave. I wanted to touch him but I knew he'd never feel me. I've visited him so many times, when he's cried and when he's laughed but he never notices me. He can never sense me. He only knows I'm here by the way the environment reacts to me. To emotions to strong to be contained.

"Hey, Dean." Sam spoke softly, his voice almost inaudible. He knelt down at my headstone, clearing a few dead leaves of it.

A woman hovered behind him in the distance, giving him time to breathe. Her gaze focused solely on Sam, she squinted in the afternoon sun.

"It's been a while, hasn't it, Dean? I hope you didn't think I'd forgotten about you. I haven't, honest. I've been really busy lately. Buying a house, paying bills, finding a real job. I didn't mean to abandon you, I'm sorry."

"It's OK, Sammy. I know you didn't mean to. Besides, you didn't." I reassured him. The wind swept it's fingers gently through his hair. I sat down on the ground, leaning back against the headstone.

"I thought Bobby was supposed to be taking care of you. Look, covered in leaves and twigs. I'll have to talk to him. He probaly hasn't been to see you for a while either. Guess he's been busy too, what with his new job. I expect he'll gush about it the next time he's here. It'll be soon, he can't stay away for long." A melancholy smile tugged on his lips.

"I don't expect you to come here if you have something else to do, Sammy. I'm not upset. I promise I'm not."

"It's been a year, Dean. One year today. God, I don't know how I survived it. There were so many times I wanted to let go. Just give up." I growled, the wind's gentle fingers suddenly pinching against his skin. " Easy, Dean. I promised you I wouldn't. I don't feel like that anymore. It gets bad sometimes, Dean. You aren't here anymore. I still get scared sometimes but you aren't here. I can't come to you."

"I'm always here, Sammy. Always."

"I'm guilty a lot of the time. Because I'm still alive and you're not. It isn't fair. Both of us should have survived, not just me. I know you'd tell me that I'm being stupid but it isn't right."

"It was my time. It's not fair but it happened."

"I miss you, man. There's this huge hole that's been punched through my chest and I can't fill it with anything. It isn't getting better. But I think I'm becoming strong enough to bare it. I wish I didn't have to though. But I am."

"You won't ever be 100% healed, Sam. You'll always have seen too much, done too much. There will always be fears, you'll always be that much more overprotective. But you'll be all right. Every day the hurt will get less and less and you'll find it easier. I'm not saying that I want you to forget me but you have to move on. Live your life the way you were always supposed to. Get married, have a bunch of kids and die a VERY old man. When it's your time to go, Sam and not a second before. Understand?"

Sam leant forward, tracing his fingertips over my engraved name. " You told me to find a girl, made me promise. Well, I have. She's wonderful, Dean. I brought her to meet you. She's a little nervous." He looked over his shoulder and waved the woman over. She smiled bashfully and took his hand. "Dean, this is Rachel. I hope you approve." A beam on sunlight trickled through the leaves to land on his face, the wind stroked his face. "Thank you, Dean. I knew you'd like her. Say hello Rachel."

Rachel crouched down beside Sam, tucking a blonde strand of hair behind her ear. "Hello, Dean. Sam talks about you so much, I feel like I know you. I wish we could've meet. You sound incredible, a real character."

"He was." Sam murmured into her hair.

"It isn't right that you aren't here. Your brother misses you so much. He cries sometimes, when he thinks I won't see. But I'm so proud of him. I'll make sure he's OK, he'll be fine. I have no doubt in my mind that you'd kick my butt if I didn't."

"Totally." I smirked

"Dean, I want to mention something. I believe in the afterlife and I'm positive you're still here somewhere, watching over Sam. You know everything that happens, see everything. I want you too know that you aren't being replaced. I'm not trying to force you away. Sam won't tell me what you used to do and I respect that but he did say that you travelled a lot. The pair of you. You're his hero, Dean. You always will be and I won't take that away. I won't get between him and your memory."

I studied her, saw the sincerity in her eyes and relaxed. "I know you're not, baby. I told Sammy it was OK to move on."

"Got to say though, Dean. I love your car. The Impala rocks!"

I laughed. "Got that right!"

Rachel glanced sideways at Sam, he met her eyes. She nodded slightly and sat back on her heels.

"I've got to go now, Dean. Sam isn't ready to say goodbye. Got some things to say in private." She stood up, dusting her hand across Sam's shoulders. "Bye, Dean. You keep looking out for him."

"I will." I promised

Sam watched her go, I didn't understand the look on his face. It was caught between love and hate. The trees whipped over head and the sun shone dimmer. Sam turned back to the grave marker, that same small smile on his face.

"I love her, Dean. I really do. But I also hate her. She's everything you'll never get to have. She reminds me that you aren't here and that monsters took you away from me. She won't ever know how you really died because I can't tell her."

"It's all right, Sam. Really. I'm over the whole grow old thing. I have everything I need right here. Well, almost everything. But you'll be here soon enough."

"I'm doing everything right from now on. No more addictions, guilt trips or anything else that nearly destroyed me. I won't turn into that monster again. I'm sorry that I did that too myself and I was so distant when you got back from hell. And I'm sorry that it was only after you died that I got better. I should have done it in your lifetime. You were supposed to help me."

"I know I was. I didn't plan on dying, not yet. You shouldn't have done what you did but it happened. Don't apologise to me. I forgave you a long time ago."

"You're happy, right? I don't sense that you aren't. I think I'd know if you were in hell again. Last time, there was a feeling deep inside. I knew you were hurting, sometimes I thought I could hear you. I pray with all my heart that you aren't in hell."

"I'm not in hell, Sammy. It sounds clichéd but I really am in a better place. Hell's just a distant memory. Where I am, I'm happy. Everyone's here. Mum, dad...hell even Jo and Ellen. Jess as well. We're all waiting on you now, kiddo. Hell can't touch me here. I'm all right."

"Mm, Castiel promised me that you wouldn't. Angel can't lie, can they? No. I know you're not in hell. You're up there, somewhere, watching over me. Just like you always have. I found your letter. You hid it well. You didn't need to write it, Dean. I knew you felt those things even though you couldn't say them. Still, I'm glad you wrote it. Thank you."

"I just had to let you know, Sammy. I should've said those things."The wind moaned mournfully and the sun hide its face in shame. I bowed my head. "I'm sorry I had to die. I'm sorry I could never say the right things to you. I'm sorry I couldn't save you from the demon blood. I'm sorry you're only finding normal now."

"Don't be sad, Dean. It's OK. I wouldn't have wanted things any different."

"Thanks." I whispered. I looked him in the face again and the sun shed its cloud cover. Sam smiled.

"You know something, Dean? I'm going to ask Rachel to marry me. I brought the ring last week. I'm still working out the finer details though but I'm going to do it right."

"Go for it, kiddo."

"You're the first person I've told. I want your blessing, even though I know I have it. Don't suppose you could find a way to give it to me?"

"Wish I could, Sammy." I whispered

I stretched my hand out to him, brushing my knuckles over his cheeks, wiping away the tear stains. He shuddered beneath my touch. I couldn't feel him, it was like I was stroking air. His eyes closed and he seemed to try to lean into my hand. Concerned, I pulled away and Sam's tearful eyes opened.

"I know you're here, Dean. I felt you. Thank you."

A smile broke out on my face. Something warm settled in my chest, the thrill of being acknowledge by my brother."Anytime."

"Sam! We're going to be late!" Rachel called from the direction of the car.

"OK!" He turned back to my grave. "You heard her, Dean. She wants me to meet her parents. I wish she could've met mine. And you." He stood up, dusting dirt of his jeans. I rose as well, studying his face. He was happy and the darkness wasn't able to touch him. "Goodbye, Dean."

"No, Sammy. This isn't goodbye." The trees shook madly in disagreement.

He nodded. "Until we meet again, then Dean. Better?"

"Right!" The trees stilled their frantic movements.

"I love you, man."

"Love you too, kiddo. Later, Sam."

I couldn't watch him walk away from me, so I turned and let go of the frail grip I had on life. The dying sun's light bled into the sky.

My day had ended. But Sam's was only just beginning.


End file.
